#topfivemoments

[anonymoustravelsworld]

                                                                                                    18th of April 1398

 Today I told Asim I would bejoining him in his journey. I couldn’t tell if he was happy with my decision ornot. Maybe his offer was just an insincere polite gesture. The kind of thingthat you would tell someone that looks miserable. But it’s too late now. I am part of this journey. He then asked me to accompany him to the market, where he would meet with some people who would give him what was needed for us to survive out there. Once we reached the market he asked me not to open my mouth, and to let him do the talking. We approached some stands in order to get some food that we would take for the trip. Asim also traded some of the goods that he already had for some cotton and gold. Finally, we met with some rarely familiar people. And that’s when I realized where I had seen them before. They were some pyramid robbers who would always come to Alexandria during this time to get rid off what they didn’t want or need. They offered Asim some jewelry and other personal items made of gold.

Asim was extremely good when interacting with people, he knew what to say and when to say it. I guess that’s why he became a merchant. He was good at trading and negotiating. Also he wanted to become rich and travel. And so do I now.

[anonymoustravelsworld]

                                                                                                      4th of May 1398

 Today we went to the Mecca. I have been extremely pleased and surprised when I saw how generous and kind people are here. They are kind to all. Rich and poor, foreign and local, young and old. Always kind. Here I obtained a simple white ihram cloth to wear (From Medina to Mecca-Web). Asim said that I Could not miss the trip to see the Kaaba. So we went. It was a huge shrine shaped like a cube and we prayed. I prayed for our safety in this trip.

[anonymoustravelsworld]

                                                                                                   11th of June 1398

I was reallysurprised with their belief system. Asim told me it was called Buddhism and Hinduism, and apparently it was a mix of both at the time that we were there, with a declining number of people practicing Buddhism (Wikipedia). I couldn’t help but notice how different Hinduism was from our religion. They had many gods who they would all worship, and all those gods and goddesses were powerful in different aspects of life. I got a little bit scared with the way that they would depict them when painting or representing them in buildings. We went to this small temple somewhere in the north of the city. It was full of their gods. What is also amusing me, is their architecture. There are 3 structures that stood out the most: porch-like structures that are apparently called Mantapas, the gate-pyramids called Gopuras, and pillared halls called Chawadis (Dravidian Architecture). The visit to this temple was one of the most outstanding moments of my trip until now.

[anonymoustravelsworld]

Guang Zhou

                                                                                                     24th of July 1398

Yesterday we reachedthe Guang Zhou. Now this is what I call different. How would I have everexpected something like this? The climate is still the same. So I guess I’mkind of getting used to it. The major differences include their language,people and architecture. The language is something I had never heard before, in which they speak something called Cantonese, in which they have completely different writing characters (Wikipedia). The people are different as well. Their skin is quite pale with a hint of yellow, and their eyes are all elongated (Features of Chinese Architecture).  Furthermore, their architecture is predominated by wood, the use of columns, colors such as red and gold, a regular layout and an elegant appearance.

Their food and philosophy is also one of my top 5 moments duringthis trip. I have tried strange things such as chicken feet and duck's tongue. Also, I love they fact that they eat so much fish, and the way the make it…I just love it! Their religion is predominated by Buddhism. I have come across this way of thinking before. But this time a local person helped me see what this religion or way of life consists of. And it looks terribly appealing. He took me to a temple and told me that people there also meditate. That was the first time I actually saw people doing it, and they looked so in peace. I don’t know if me feeling so attracted to this religion is going to make me a bad person in the looks of my god. But I had never agreed so much with the principles of Islam as I do with the ideas of Buddhism. I guess this is another of those big changes that traveling the world puts you through.